Sports digest 10/29/01

Ponder nets OVC newcomer honor

Southeast Missouri State University junior wide receiver Willie Ponder was named Sunday as the Ohio Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week for football.

Ponder, who leads the OVC in every receiving category, caught nine passes for 78 yards during Saturday's 41-21 loss at Tennessee Tech.

A junior-college transfer, Ponder has 61 receptions for 913 yards this year. With two games remaining, he needs 12 receptions and 194 yards to break Southeast single-season records.

Two Tennessee Tech players who starred in the win over Southeast earned the OVC's major weekly honors.

Quarterback Grant Swallows grabbed the offensive award as he completed 15 of 18 passes for 282 yards and a school-record five touchdowns. End D.J. Bleisath nabbed defensive accolades as he had eight tackles, including four for loss, and two sacks.

Moore fires ace at Kimbeland CC

Harold Moore of Cape Girardeau fired a hole-in-one Friday at Kimbeland Country Club.

Moore used a pitching wedge to ace No. 4, a par 3 playing 115 yards.

Witnesses were Eddie Kinder and Terry Pourney.

Lemieux to have surgery on hip

PITTSBURGH -- Mario Lemieux, bothered since training camp by a sore hip, will have surgery Monday that will sideline him for up to a month.

Lemieux will have arthroscopic surgery that will remove long-term wear and tear damage to his hip, accumulated from many years of playing hockey, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced Sunday.

The star forward, who is also the owner of the Penguins, is expected to miss three or four weeks because of the injury that first flared up during an exhibition game on Sept. 22.

He failed to respond to therapy and strengthening treatment, and recent tests revealed evidence of torn cartilage and a small bone fragment.

-- From staff, wire reports